Prata-Man Restaurant - Richmond

I first came here way before TripAdvisor existed. Food wasn't very good or authentic (I am from the part of SE Asia where the cuisine comes from) under the then-operators. For example, the satay was in such big chunks (excellent if it was a meat kebab) but wasn't marinated enough or cooked through enough as it should have been.Fast forward a decade and a half (maybe even 2), and we came after commemorating a sombre family anniversary. Ordered a few dishes to share.The HaiNan chicken rice isn't how it is prepared or served in SE Asia, but more like how it is served in HaiNan (had it 3+ times last year on HaiNan island). Expect a moist if somewhat oily chicken (claimed to be free range): Authentic for HaiNan with the accompaniment of a green onion-oil dip and sweet chili sauce. No heavy Indonesian soy sauce (the favored brand is owned by Campbell Soup these days). Rice is cooked in broth but cooked a little too long and with too much water as it is fluffy (I like mine more al dente). Soup is o.k. but a bit ... weak.Satay is decent but not marinated enough or with enough spicing. The Satay peanut sauce is o.k. but a bit insipid.The fried tofu is also o.k though not great (have had better) and has the same satay sauce as the satay.Overall o.k. but nothing outstanding.

Good food, no pretense. This place is consistent, always busy and full of regulars so you might find a line up as they only have about eight simple tables. The service is friendly but overworked. As others have noted, the Hainanese chicken is a specialty but so are the roti and curry for dipping. I found the skewers a bit small. They have laksa but we didn't try it since we had enough food.

I enjoy coming here for lunch. They have a specific dine-in only set available Tuesday to Thursday. Whether alone or group, you probably will enjoy their food.

I came visit this place by recommendation of a friend. The place was pretty decent and I considered the price reasonable. I ordered the Hainanese chicken rice, curry fishball, beer roti prata and kopi (Singaporean style coffee with evaporated milk). All in all, the food was nice but the prata was not like the original but still tasty. The kopi was good. This is a good place for Singaporean style cuisine in town.

Roti, Laksa and curry. Need I say more. Always quick, well priced and good. They have a couples deal tues to thurs as well.